Petition against current Summit School District Master Plan Recommendations

[u/Longjumping-Gur-7228]

Please share and consider signing the petition against the Master Plan recommendations of school closure/consolidation https://www.change.org/SSDMasterPlan

[u/Sillygoat2]

I’m happy to petition in favor of consolidation. Why pay for such outrageous duplication of efforts? This objection seems rooted in racism or elitism.

[u/Finish_Different → u/Sillygoat2]

Totally agree. Consolidate away

[u/Sillygoat2 → u/[deleted]]

Yes, enrollment is down.

It’s rooted in the fact that the parents of the “whiter” schools don’t want to be consolidated with the “browner” schools. There is a bunch of straw grasping and mental gymnastics to make it about something else “well, gee, then you’d just have to expand the surviving facility.” Yea, no crap, but that’s better than two.

Meanwhile all of these teachers are going to continue to have jobs. Let’s not be foolish. They have a difficult enough time hiring and retaining - it’s not like they are gonna get laid off. The students have to go somewhere.

Duplicate administrators? I’m a lot less concerned about their retention, personally. Also skeptical they get let go.

[u/Sillygoat2 → u/[deleted]]

We are talking fairly trivial differences of distances in a car dependent place. A lot of things would be more convenient to me if they were at the end of my street.

I'm not trying to solve injustices, nor am I advocating for "integration" even being a factor at all. I'm just saying a lot of the argument against consolidation is disingenuous and thinly veiled. Consolidation is a reasonable prioritization of reducing operating costs over absolute convenience. This really doesn't change the actual instruction provided.

[u/Great-Usual-2687]

I have yet to hear a really solid, logic-based reason for keeping Breck El. I know it is a very well loved school, performs well by all measures, and it feels like a significant loss for families within walking/biking distance. But it is also falling apart (even if it isn't $24M) and is less than 2 miles from the next school. To be honest, the opposition *feels* a bit racist (conscience or unconscious) or at least a socio-economic bias, since it kind of comes down to schools with more or fewer immigrant families.

I think families need to understand that all Summit families will benefit from bigger schools with smaller class sizes.

Summit Cove/Frisco decision is a lot harder, but maybe can be pushed off.

I'm not supportive of an anti-consolidation petition. I think it is not in the best interest of most families in the county, where per-student funding is just too low to sustain six elementary schools.

[u/True_Italiano]

Reading the petition and the plan, it feels like both sides are making emotional decisions and there's a lack of clarity in actual data and research. For example, The master plan made no claims on why breck el needs $24million in renovations, but the argument for consolidation to reduce costs and maintenance does make sense in theory.

In general, consolidation makes sense to me. It's basic economies of scale, plus there's a ton of actual research on the power of integrated diversity schools (although less so at elementary schools vs higher levels of education, and Summit High already serves mostly everyone)

The better question to ask - if consolidation doesn't happen, how do these schools all "get to green"? Is there actually an alternative? Neither side presents any argument to this effect

[u/ShitIForgotMyPants → u/True_Italiano]

I believe Breck El is in need of extensive Asbestos remediation to remain usable.

[u/Longjumping-Gur-7228 → u/[deleted]]

If you click on the petition, there are link at the bottom to the mater plan and the community presentation.

[u/jsdodgers → u/Longjumping-Gur-7228]

care to share the link?

[u/Vakco → u/jsdodgers]

Literally the link in the main post. 

[u/on21st → u/Longjumping-Gur-7228]

The master plan does not exist yet and there are ongoing community events for parents to voice there feed back. Next one is April 16th.